The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies
by speedfanatic05
Summary: What a little dance will do to liven the spirit....
1. Chapter 1

Dance Of the Sugar Plum Fairies

Disclaimer: I own nothing of the sort from CSI. It is the esteemed property of Jerry Bruckhiemer , Alliance, and CBS. I do own a certain precocious five year old...

A/N: Follow up to Snowflakes and Misunderstandings, five years later.

Pairing: S/C

Warnings: Some language

Rating: FRT

Chapter One

Tim glanced down at the ground, wondering just how he got into this predicament. Sighing heavily, he pulled up the string of lights and placed them with precision on the house, leveling them with the nail that had remained from the previous year. Every year since getting married , he had found himself perched perilously atop his home the first weekend in December, hanging Christmas lights . For some unknown reason, Calleigh favored the festivities that went along with the season, meanwhile, Tim could do without. As long as he had Calleigh and his daughter, who were both mysteriously missing at the moment, his life was complete, lights or no lights.

A snicker brought him out of his thoughts as he tightened the tension in the line of lights. Ignoring the sound, he continued to inch along the length of the house until his arms could reach no more. Taking a breather, he glanced down at the remaining area left to be surfaced with lights and shook his head. This could wait a few minutes longer.

" Need a break, Bob the builder?" Jayson quipped holding the ladder as Tim descended slowly. He had come down to Miami with his parents for the week to see his niece in her first performance in the Nutcracker.

"Don't laugh, you are going up there next," Tim responded as he glowered at his brother, straightening his jacket some. The air in Miami was nowhere near what Syracuse was at this time of year, which he figured was a shock to both his mother and father, but it was chilly enough for him.

"Oh no you don't there, slugger. Calleigh specifically told you to get those lights up before she came back from rehearsal with Syd. She said something else about getting to the airport before her family got in,"Jayson said absently as Tim looked up at him, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Did you say the airport?" he asked as he pulled his watch up to his face to see the time. "Damn!"

He moved past Jayson in a huff, walking into the house rapidly and returning a short while later. Jayson eyed him as he walked to his truck and poised himself to get in, not believing what he was seeing.

"Hey, where do you think you are going?"

" If you hadn't noticed, there sport, I have to go and pick up the in-laws. If they aren't here when Calleigh gets back,..."

"There'll be hell to pay," Jayson responded with a cocked grin.

"In the worst way. You can finish this up , can't you?" Tim asked as he stepped into the cab of the Tahoe.

Shaking his head, Jayson turned and walked towards the house, hearing the engine to the Tahoe revving up, " You know, I should cash in my favors with you."

" Just think of it as charity," Tim called as he put the truck into reverse. " See you when I get back, Jay."Jayson waved him off as the truck pulled into the street and turned with Tim hanging out of the window, " Thanks little brother!"

He watched as the truck sped off into the distance and started climbing the ladder, his thoughts on how to get some sympathy from Calleigh later. It was the least he could do for his older brother.

S/C

Calleigh watched with delight as she twirled deliriously around, the smile on her face as brilliant as the sun. She loved to watch her daughter dance, the happiness that exuded from the five year old, always making her heart skip a beat. As with her father, Sydney Speedle's emotions were strong, be it happy or sad, or even angry and each had their place within her. At the moment, happiness was all that Calleigh could see as it flowed from her effortlessly, it seeming to be contagious as her other company mates dissolved into fits of laughter as Sydney stopped turning and fell to the floor in a heap. Calleigh couldn't help herself but laugh, trying vainly to suppress it by covering her mouth with her hand discreetly, but found that the chuckle rose out of her anyway. Sydney got up and took an exaggerated bow, as the rest clapped and giggled along with her. Calleigh shook her head , the smile still planted firmly on her face as she felt her cell buzz in her jacket pocket. Feeling around for the contraption, her mind ran with the possibilities. She had left both Jayson and Tim at the house with strict instructions that the lights be up when she returned from rehearsal. Her only thoughts were that the Speedle boys had gotten themselves into a mess and they were on their way to the emergency room.

With a little more of a chuckle she flipped the phone to see a familiar number and crinkled her eyebrow. Surely, Tim would've remembered to pick up her family from the airport.

"Chauncy?" Calleigh asked, her tone even at the moment. She could only hope that Chauncy was at her house, calling only to dish about Jayson.

"Calleigh," Chauncy returned, the frustration easily being heard in her sigh. "Where in God's name is that husband of yours? Grandma has been sitting here for almost an hour."

"What?" Calleigh returned almost too loudly. She gathered herself and turned to see the other mothers as their attention settled on her. She gave them a faint smile and turned her back slightly, trying to whisper, but realizing with her anger rising ,that it was an attempt she was failing at, "Tim isn't there?"

"If he was, darlin' don't you think we would be at your house by now? Didn't you tell him what time we were arriving?" Chauncy asked, her voice being drowned out by the throng of travelers and the intercom on the concourse. " You know grandma is getting up there in age... No , grandma, I'm not trying to be funny," Calleigh heard Chauncy remark. "Cal..."

Calleigh closed her eyes and then opened them quickly, pinching the bridge of her nose, " Let me call Tim and see what he's gotten into." The thought of him in the emergency room returned to her as she let out a sigh. He had better been in the emergency room to have forgotten to be at the airport.

"Call back soon, Cal. Grandma needs to take her medicine."

"I'll call back in five minutes. If I can't find him, which he better hope that I can, do you think you can hop a cab to my place?"

"Sure," came the nonchalant reply from Chauncy before she unceremoniously hung up.

Calleigh turned her sights onto Sydney as they started to prepare for a run through and let a strained smile appear, nodding to her as she dialed his number. Waiting for him to pick up, she watched as Sydney took her mark as the activity unfurled around her. She had been so proud of her when she had gotten the news about being chosen for the miniature Sugar Plum fairy doll, knowing how much Sydney wanted something to do in the production. The talent was recognized early in Sydney, and the desire soon followed ; Calleigh being unable to hear nothing else from her daughter about how much she wanted to dance. Not so soon afterwards, she had begun to practice at home, even pulling her father in by using him as a proxy Clara, presenting him with a crown fashioned from aluminium foil and cardboard. Calleigh could hardly wait to see her little girl in the frilly tu tu and the little tiara.

The phone rang incessantly, Calleigh's anger being fueled by it. The ringing finally stopped and she realized that his voice mail had started. Rather than hearing his sarcastic quip of the week she depressed the button and spoke cleanly, her words coming out precise.

"Timothy Speedle, there better be a very good reason why my family is still at the airport," Calleigh said as she retained her sight on her daughter as she hit her mark perfectly. She noticed the slight wiggling that always managed to make an appearance and winced slightly, but then relaxed. Sydney was a picture of control for a five year old, but sometimes the wiggle worms attacked. Soon , she stopped wiggling and stood perfectly still in the first position and Calleigh relaxed once more, a smile creeping onto her face as she let out a breath and spoke again. " Tim, just... just get there, okay? Talk to you later, I love you."

Calleigh dialed Chauncy's number as Sydney walked off, a huge smile gracing her face. There would be only thirty more minutes of rehearsals then she would be picking up Sydney's costume for the dress rehearsal tomorrow. They only had one more day of rehearsals until the performance, and that coupled with her family being down in Miami for the first time , found Calleigh on pins and needles. Nothing needed to go wrong. Nothing.

"He's here," she said immediately.

Calleigh let a relieved sigh out and her body relaxed. In the minutes since Chauncy had first called , her body had tensed up involuntarily. She thrived on precision and control, and at the minute sight of any of that absent, Calleigh's world would implode.

"Would it be possible to speak to him?" she wondered as she continued to watch the rehearsal as it wound to a conculsion.

"I'm not going to have you cuss him out on my phone , Bug."

"Oh, stop it, Chauncy, I'm not going to curse him out," Calleigh said with a light laugh. "Maybe give him a stern word or two."

With no fan fare, the phone was handed off and he spoke , the apology evident in his voice, "Cal..."

"Tim, what on earth? What were you doing?"

"What you told me, time just got away from me. Jayson was the one who reminded me."

" I have the mind to thank him generously for that," Calleigh returned a smile inched up the corners of her mouth. "So, I'm lead to believe that you finished the house?"

"About that, Cal..."

"Jay's doing that as well, I see."

"At least it will be done when you get home," he answered with a slight hint of sarcasm. Calleigh decided to let it slide , just because she knew he was truly sorry for it. " How's my little sugar plum fairy doing?"

"Oh, she's fine," Calleigh responded as they gathered around the instructor. She got up and grabbed Sydney's jacket and waited for her to come over. " We get her costume tonight for tomorrow's dress rehearsal. It's going to be a fight to keep her hands off of it. You should see her, Tim, she's absolutely estatic."

"That means she's going to be dancing all night, doesn't it?" Tim asked, an exasperated sigh escaping as he picked up the luggage.

" You try telling an excited five year old to stop dancing. It's her first role," Calleigh explained as the instructor dismissed them. Sydney waved to her friends and then ran to Calleigh , catching her legs in an embrace. Looking down at her, she smiled as she put a hand on her chocolate brown hair that was put in a messy ponytail, the curls spilling out from everywhere . Calleigh conceded that she was going to have a tough time getting it into the sleek bun that was required. " You want to speak to Daddy?"

"Daddy!" Sydney exclaimed as she turned her head upwards, giving Calleigh a glance at her deep brown eyes that danced with mirth. The only thing that Calleigh saw that she inherited from her was her control, everything else was all Tim. "I wanna speak to Daddy!"

"Alright, alright, Syd. Here he is," Calleigh responded as she handed her the phone.

"Daddy! Hi Daddy!" Sydney yelled into the phone excitedly. " I did it, Daddy! I gave Clara her crown."

"That's great , sweetie," Tim said as he pulled the phone from his ear slightly. Chauncy glanced over, hearing the exuberant voice of her niece.

"And I stood still, just like Mommy told me too," she continued as she let go of Calleigh's legs and began to walk in circles around her.

"Sydney, tell the truth," Calleigh warned as she heard the sounds of the departing parents and looked to her watch. She wanted to stop by the store to grab some things before going home.

"Oh okay, I moved some, but not a lot Daddy. I did good!"

" I believe you, baby. Put Mom back on the phone," Tim said as he smiled more. Just the sound of her voice made his heart swell.

"Okay, Daddy. I'll see you at home, bye bye."

"Bye, sweetheart," Tim returned, moving slowly with the luggage. He heard Calleigh get the phone back and said, " So, she's psyched."

"Beyond psyched. I don't believe she wants to go to sleep tonight. Hope you are prepared."

"She can help with the tree," Tim quipped , walking out of the terminal.

"Now, that is going to be something to watch. How long are you going to be?"

"Not long, the causeway seems to be clear, well, it was on the way here."

"Looks can be decieving, Tim. Take your time, I'll see you when you get home. And slow down!"

"Are you insinuating that I speed?" Tim asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, it is your name, right? Just take it easy, you have my grandmother in the car with you, remember that."

"Remembered. See you when you get in, Cal."

" Love you, Tim."

"Love you, Calleigh."

Calleigh smiled heavily as she closed her eyes, seeing him in her mind's eye. She could almost see the sexy smirk that he almost always wore for her. Life had been nothing but perfection for them since being married, something that she could hardly believe , considering the Christmas they had before getting engaged, but Calleigh reminded herself that with the kind of love that they had, it made everything easier.

Opening her eyes, she looked down at Sydney and put a hand on her head, smoothing out the wild curls, "Ready, kiddo?"

" Yeah! But don't forget my costume, Mom!"

"My next move, sweetie. Let's go."

The two of them walked towards the instructor, smiles on both their faces. Life couldn't get any better at the moment.

Tbc...


	2. Chapter 2

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies

Chapter Two

Tim saw the headlights as they pulled into the driveway and walked towards the door, passing Chauncy as she came out of the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn. The look he shot her garnered an eye rolling from her as she continued on her quest to the living room where Jayson and himself were presently engaged in putting up the tree. After getting in with Calleigh's family, and making sure her grandmother was comfortable, Tim enlisted Jayson's help once more and started in on the tree. Chauncy , of course was doing what she did best, sitting on the couch watching and parlaying her opinion on what ornaments to put up. Every so often, they would pause and have a discussion about the art of decorating, which would usually end with Jayson shaking his head in disbelief and Chauncy rolling her eyes. It was during one of those relapses , that Tim saw the headlights as they reflected on the walls of their home.

As he opened the door, Sydney stalked past him, heading up the stairs, her feet making it very obvious that she was not in the best of moods. Calleigh followed in, glancing in her direction before making eye contact with Tim, a slight sigh escaping from her. He took the bags out of her hands and followed her sight as the door to her room slammed shut.

"Where's the costume?" Tim asked ,arching an eyebrow and shifting the bags to a comfortable position.

" They aren't getting them tonight. Maryanne's mother got the information wrong. The entire way home, I tried to explain to her why she couldn't get it tonight. Now, we have to deal with this all night," Calleigh said as she could hear her stomping around upstairs. "She's not a very happy camper."

"Do tell. You think I should go up there and talk to her?"

"I don't know, Tim. Maybe she should calm down some," Calleigh answered as another door slammed shut.

"I'm not giving her a chance to bring the house down, Cal. Maybe I can explain it to her in a different way," Tim responded as he walked into the kitchen , placing the bags down and returning to the base of the stairs.

"Well, good luck, hot shot. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Tim leaned in to give her a kiss on the lips, pulling back with a smirk, "I have the skills and determination, I think she will see it my way."

"Uh huh, no bribery, Tim."

"What?" Tim asked with his hands up , the light catching his wedding band , causing Calleigh to smirk heavily. She kept her eyes on his as he started to ascend the stairs. " My ' Daddy' senses will do all the talking. I'll only be a few minutes, can you listen out for my parents? They should be coming in any moment now."

Calleigh nodded as he disappeared up the stairs and shrugged off her jacket, hanging it up in the closet. Hearing the voices in the living room, she walked through the hall, the lights encasing her home in a warm glow. The smile inched across her face wider as she heard Chauncy's thick accented voice direct Jayson on the precise position of the tinsel.

"You know, it would look a lot better if you string it up and down," she was saying as Calleigh stood near the love seat, her arms crossed about her chest. The sight of Tim's brother holding the tinsel in mid air, the obvious signs of frustration building in his brown eyes becoming more and more evident as Chauncy pointed, was enough to make Calleigh chuckle slightly. Chauncy turned to see her cousin and went to her quickly, taking her into a huge embrace. Pulling back, they looked at each other and hugged again. " Bug, I'm so glad to see you! You look fabulous!"

Calleigh felt the heat rise in her cheeks as she adverted her eyes to Jayson, catching his grateful expression before he returned to stringing the tinsel, _around the tree,_ then back to Chauncy, " So, how's the decorating going?"

"Fine, if 'mister I know what I'm doing when it comes to tinsel' would just listen to me. I've been trying to tell him tinsel looks far better when strung up and down. It makes the tree look fuller."

"This tree doesn't need to be made any more fuller," Jayson expressed with a tad more frustration. " It already takes up half the room."

"Hey," Calleigh said, feigning a tone of hurt, "I picked the tree out."

"And what a lovely tree it is, Cal," Jayson nodded in her direction. " I was just saying, it doesn't need to look any fuller. The tinsel is best going around the tree. I've never heard of stringing tinsel up and down before."

"It's a southern thing," Chauncy shot back ,crossing her arms. "You wouldn't know."

Calleigh couldn't help but let a laugh out as she heard the door bell ringing. Jayson moved towards the door, but Calleigh held her hand out, still trying to stave her laugh, " I've got it, Jay. It seems as if you have an issue to resolve."

"Tell me about it," Jayson responded as he turned back to his work, trying his best to ignore Chauncy. It was like having a long lost sister that he wished had stayed lost. " Don't mind me, I'll just continue to string the tinsel the stupid _northern way._"

Chauncy shot him a scowled expression as she turned to leave the room, deciding on going to check on Grandma. With Chauncy gone, he proceeded to pull the tinsel off of the tree and started stringing it up and down, nodding his head in agreement. Calleigh laughed heartily as she went to the door and opened it, seeing his parents standing there with warm smiles. She invited them in with a simple gesture, getting caught in the arms of his mother , who held her tightly.

" Calleigh," she said into her long blond hair. " The lights are simply to die for."

"You have your boys to thank for that," Calleigh replied as she retracted from her somewhat, taking in her natural beauty, her round , chocolate brown eyes expressed a happiness that Calleigh had never seen on anyone. "Well, at least one of your boys."

"Well, they are beautiful nonetheless. Where's my little sugar plum? Did she get to bring her costume home?"

"No, Lydia, she didn't, and she's not too happy about it."

"I tried to tell you, Calleigh, that the company wouldn't allow that, especially for the type of performance they are having. They are dancing at the Metropolitan Theater , it's a very big deal."

"I know, I just thought that since she had such a small part, that they would let her bring it home," Calleigh explained, feeling as if she was dwindling in size. She loved Tim's mother to death, but at times she could be a little over bearing. "I've tried to explain it to her, but she's not taking it well."

" You shouldn't give a child too much expectation,..." Lydia started as she glanced to her husband , who wore a narrowed look on his face. Tim may have gotten his eyes from his mother, but everything else was from Joseph.

"Lydia," he expressed with a dull sigh, feeling the tension growing somewhat. He put a hand on Calleigh's shoulder and smiled at her, " She's only doing what every other mother would've done. I can't count how many times that Tim and Jayson had been disappointed at their losses. It's apart of parenting, we make a mistake, we learn, we move on. No harm no foul."

Calleigh gave him a grateful nod as her body relaxed some, hearing the door open upstairs. Looking up, she saw Sydney and Tim as they appeared at the top of the stairwell, a smile on the little girl's face. Her smile dwindled into confusion as she saw Tim help her with her coat on. As they walked down the stairs, it could be seen that they were planning on going out. Sydney looked to her mother first, then turning quickly to see her grandparents as the smiles grew an inch a second. By passing Calleigh, she headed straight for her grandpa, running into his awaiting arms. He scooped her up effortlessly and held on to her tightly as she hugged his neck.

"Grandpa!" she squealed into his shoulder, then parting from him, looking into his deep dark eyes. "Did you miss me?"

"Oh, boy did I ever," Joseph responded, his eyes lighting up at the sight of his only grandchild. "So much so, that I brought you something."

"Dad,..." Tim expressed , putting his hands on his hips as Joseph let Sydney down and reached into his pocket, pulling out a box. " Christmas is a week away, couldn't this had waited?"

" Nothing said," Joseph returned , shaking his head. " My little sugar plum deserves it."

"Well, at least let her put it under the tree," Tim said as he glanced into the living room, seeing Jayson stringing the tinsel up and down. _What the hell is he doing? _he thought to himself.

"Timmy, let her open it," Lydia persisted. "She's only five once , and this is her first dance. Maybe she can wear it during the performance."

"I don't think that is allowed," Calleigh interjected as she glanced towards Tim, knowing that this was a battle that they were fast losing.

"Just the same, I'd like to see her open it," Joseph said as he placed it in Sydney's hand.

Tim closed his eyes and then opened them, gesturing defeatedly, "Alright, go ahead, Syd."

That was all the little girl needed to hear before she was ripping the paper off of the long box. She struggled with getting the box open, turning to her mother with wide expectant eyes that began to water at the notion of not being able to open it. When Calleigh finally opened it, Sydney's eyes widened even more as she began to jump up and down, simply estatic.

"A ballerina bracelet! Daddy, look..."

" I see princess," Tim remarked , his sigh deepening. "Are you still interested in going ?"

"Going?" Calleigh asked as Lydia and Joseph shrugged out of their jackets. She kept her eyes on her beloved family as she took their jackets. "Tim, we just got home. Where on earth are you going?"

"Well, I sorta..." Tim started as he made gestures to Sydney, " promised her that I would take her out."

"Yeah, he said he was going to buy me a costume!" Sydney blurted out loud, the joy in her voice unmistakable.

"Did he ?" Calleigh asked, as she looked to him, her eyes telling the story of her disposition.

"After I take her around to see the lights. The costume thing is a minor detail..."

His parents chuckled as they made their way to the living room, as Calleigh hung behind, "Daddy Senses, huh?"

"All I'm getting is the tu tu. Nothing more," Tim responded as he glanced over to Sydney, who was admiring her new bracelet. "She was so disappointed about not being able to bring home her costume. I couldn't let her go to sleep like that."

Calleigh placed a hand on his forearm as she tilted her head up to meet his lips, a smile coming , "Don't be too long. She has rehearsal in the morning."

" I won't," Tim replied as he gave her a peck in return. Turning to Sydney, he asked, " So, are we ready princess?"

"Yeah!" Sydney responded gleefully as she moved towards the door, placing her hand on the knob. Tim followed her, giving Calleigh a parting glance .

"I'll be right back."

" Sure. Have fun," Calleigh intoned in her thick accent as she began walking to the living room.

Outside, Tim grasped on to Sydney's hand, and walked to the truck, looking down at her. The smile she had on her face melted his heart as it had done so many other times before. He would cross the world and back for her, just to have that smile.


	3. Chapter 3

Dance of the Sugar Plums

Chapter Three

Calleigh searched frantically for the bobby pins that she had placed on the counter top with one hand as she tried to hold the curly ponytail tightly in the other. It had been a foray in patience to get Sydney's hair to slick back in the standard bun, each of the naturally curly strands popping out as soon as she moved to another section of hair. What could've taken only ten minutes to do on her hair, was now taking all of thirty to complete on her daughter's mane. With a frustrated sigh, she tried to maneuver herself to open the drawer next to her to retrieve more, when Sydney suddenly turned, causing all of her hair to fall out of Calleigh's grasp.

"Syd," she sighed as she spotted the bobby pins on the floor. "We are never going to make it."

"Mommy, I don't want to wear my hair like that. I want it curly," Sydney protested as she looked in the mirror at her mother, her big brow eyes dancing with mischievousness.

"Sweetie, you have to have it in a bun. The sugar plum fairy doll wears it like that."

"But I don't want it like that!" Sydney responded, her voice rising an octave. Calleigh narrowed her eyes as she saw the little girl in the mirror, her mind set on having a curly ponytail.

"If you don't wear it like this," Calleigh stated, trying to remain calm, " you can't dance tonight."

"But I still want it , Mommy," Sydney demanded, her eyes now clouded with anger and frustration. Before Calleigh could scold her, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned, seeing her grandmother standing with her cane. The expression on her face was of understanding and kindness, and it softened Calleigh's demeanor.

"Why don't you let me take over, Bug," she said gently, smiling at her great granddaughter through the mirror. " You still have to get ready."

A wave of relief came over Calleigh as she side stepped, but hesitated. Sydney could be a handful by herself, throw into the mix unruly hair, and that was another story altogether.

"Are you sure, Grams? Her hair is a beast on it's own," Calleigh asked as her grandmother started shaking her head.

"I've done a many ponytails in my time, sweetie. Her's isn't going to be any different."

"Did you happen to see how curly her hair is, Grandma?"

"Just the same, scoot," she replied sweetly as she gestured Calleigh out of the dressing room that was adjacent to the bathroom. " We will be done in ten minutes."

"Grams,..."

"Ten minutes, Calleigh. Don't worry, we will have a good time, right, Sydney?"

"Yeah!" came the exuberant cry from Sydney as she began to giggle. Calleigh watched the two trade smiles and conceded. She would be but a call away if things got hairy.

"Alright, well, I will be in my room," Calleigh said as she backed out of the room, leaving them to their own chuckles and whispers. Instantly, Calleigh's mind flashed back to her days in Savannah, when she had spent the majority of her time with her Grams over the summers. It was like they were in their own little world, much like what Calleigh saw between her and her daughter at the moment. Softly, she closed the door, hearing Sydney laughing out loud, making her smile . Her Grandmother had always had a certain touch with the kids.

No more than ten minutes later, they both emerged out of the dressing room, Sydney's hair done up perfectly in a smooth bun, not a stray curl seen. Calleigh looked on in amazement as Sydney came down stairs gracefully, a magnificent smile on her face. She looked every inch of the beautiful fairy she was going to play.

As Sydney came down, Tim ascended the stairs, helping Grams down the stair case, a permanent grin affixed to her face.

"Such a lovely young man," she said as she walked down slowly, grasping on to Tim's arm. Calleigh watched with bated breath as they came down, not so much worried about whether Tim could safely bring her to the bottom or not, but if she was going to be able to breathe regularly once she got down. Grams was young at spirit, but her body told the story of many years of life. Getting to the bottom, she let a heavy breath out, steadying herself with the banister. Calleigh came closer, her heart starting to beat faster, the fear out weighing everything at the moment.

"Grandma?"

"I'm fine, Bug. Just get a little winded at times. Not the youngest one in the bunch anymore," she said as she waved Calleigh off. "Stop being a worry wart, dear." When she gathered her breath more, she smiled faintly, " Now, tell me, how do you like young Sydney's hair?"

"Oh, Grandma, it's beautiful! How did you..." Calleigh asked as she pulled Sydney closer to her. She could feel the little girl's energy as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

" Just an understanding is all," Grandma replied , " isn't that right, Sydney?"

"Yes, ma'am," Sydney replied, her smile pushing across her face. "Can we go now , Mom? I don't want to miss anything."

Tim chuckled at her impatience, recognizing it in himself many times before. It was something to see it on someone else. His father and mother came up behind them, along with Chauncy and Jayson, crowding the hallway.

" I think it's time for someone to get going," Joseph intoned grinning at her as she began to move again. Calleigh tried to hold her back, the fear of losing the perfect bun running through her. Tim walked up to them , handing her Sydney's jacket and giving her a stern glance. Sydney immediately stopped her moving and slipped into her jacket, waiting for her mother to give the go ahead.

" Okay, we're going. You guys don't be late," Calleigh called as she opened the door, Sydney practically running out towards the car. She jumped up and down as Calleigh turned to the house once more, "try and get seats closer to the front!"

"C'mon, Mommy!" Sydney said aloud, her voice taking on a slight whine as she waited impatiently at the back door. Calleigh picked up her pace and unlocked the door by remote, seeing her jump in her booster seat, practically putting the seat belt on herself.

"Sydney , calm down," Calleigh chided softly as she reached across her gently to pull the belt across from her. "We are going to get there."

"But when , Mommy?" Sydney asked, her impatience starting to show through. Her brow furrowed as she crossed her arms about her, her lip poking out the slightest bit. Calleigh chuckled at the temper tantrum, wondering absently if this is what Tim looked like when he was little. "MOMMY!"

"Syd, alright now, calm down, and I mean it," Calleigh responded, her voice taking on a stern tone. Immediately, Sydney got quiet, and sighed heavily as Calleigh closed the door. Quickly , she got in the drivers seat and put the car in reverse, glancing at her through the rearview mirror. Now that they were in forward motion, Sydney's face began to soften and she sung along with the music that drifted out of the stereo. Driving, Calleigh pushed the gas a little more, her speed increasing . She would push it to get her there on time.

t

Calleigh watched as the wardrobe mistress took Sydney by the hand and led her back to the dressing rooms, waving at the beaming child as if her heart was breaking. More than anything did Calleigh want to be back there with her, helping her get into her costume, reminding her to stand still and to position herself just right, but she realized that there were people back there for that. It now dawned on her that at the tender age of five years old, her little girl was growing up.

As Sydney disappeared backstage, Calleigh wiped a tear away and turned to go into the theater itself. The Metropolitan wasn't as big as many theaters, but it suited Miami's tastes well. Standing there at the door, she scanned the vast room for her group , slightly remembering where he had said they were when he called earlier. Seeing him wave to her, she promptly waved back and walked briskly to join them, seeing at the same time as Eric walked up, chatting with Horatio and Marisol. Once she joined them all, she let out a deep breath as she saw more people entering the hall.

"Well, she's back there," Calleigh stated as she took her seat next to Tim, who was making last minute preparations to the camera, in hopes that it perform it's duties tonight. " I just hope she is going to be alright."

"Cal, she's going to be fine," Tim coaxed as he looked towards his brother who was chatting with Chauncy. " She's way too excited to get into any trouble."

"Just how excited?"Eric asked, as he sat behind them, leaning up.

"Let's just say, she wasn't happy last night until I came home with the entire set up..."

"When he only promised her a tu tu," Calleigh finished , remembering the irresistible smile on her daughter's sleepy face as she pulled out the promised tu tu, along with the leotard and the tiara.

" I couldn't let her go to sleep upset," Tim defended once more as the music began and the lights started to go down. Calleigh turned towards the stage, her heart beating insanely fast. Sydney wouldn't be for a while, but just the thought of her little girl gracing the stage , in front of so many people was astounding to her. The noise behind her continued and she turned her head quickly, her glare shutting Eric down. He put his hands up in defense and sat back as Marisol and Horatio grinned at him and the dancers took to the stage. Calleigh snuggled against Tim, curving her arm inside of his as he turned the camera towards the stage, starting the video. "Make sure you have enough for Sydney."

"Don't worry, Cal," Tim whispered as the music began, grinning wildly. There was no way that he was going to miss his little girl's grand debut.

As the story began to unfold in front of them, Calleigh glanced over to her grandmother, seeing the absolute delight in her eyes as she followed the dancers, her nimble hands moving with the music, seemingly lost in her own thoughts .Calleigh's smile faded at the realization that time was moving on for her grandmother, and there would be less and less of her through the coming years. That simply meant that she was going to have to enjoy her for the time remaining.

Blinking rapidly, she refocused her attention to the stage, recognizing the precise moment as it appeared. She leaned forward , pulling Tim along with her, her excitement barely contained. As soon as she saw Sydney in full Sugar Plum Fairy doll regalia, her eyes immediately began to swell. It took all that she had from coming to her feet and cheering her on as if she was in a homecoming game instead of a ballet.

"There she is, Tim. There she is," Calleigh said , her voice quaking with her glee. "She looks precious, Tim."

Tim turned to Calleigh as he kept the camera focused on his daughter , handing her a handkerchief, " Cal, don't cry. She's beautiful, and ...she's standing still. Look at her!"

Tim's voice echoed slightly and he felt himself turn a shade of red as the heads turned back to the stage. They all watched as Sydney stood perfectly still in the first position, waiting patiently. Through memory, Tim traced the foot steps that they had done many a times at home, mouthing the steps in time with her, his heart overflowing that she was keeping up so well. By the time she ended , he was hard pressed to keep himself planted to the seat. A tear fell absently as he turned to Calleigh, squeezing her hand gently. Their little girl had exceeded all their expectations.

The rest of the performance went well, and as promised, Tim let the film continue to play so that Sydney could see her company mates as they performed being that she was unable to. Tim could hardly wait for the curtain call before he was up on his feet , grabbing the bouquet that he had brought before coming. The swarms of equally eager parents swelled as the dancers began to filter out of the backstage area, smiles abound on their young faces. It astounded both Tim and Calleigh to no end on the devotion of these kids. Calleigh searched the sea of children and parents for her own little one, dodging in and out of the crowd. When she finally spotted her, she saw the exuberant smile on her daughter's face that seemed to light up the entire hall. She was just over the moon.

"Mommy! Mommy! I did it! I did it!" Sydney exclaimed as Calleigh bent to scoop her into her arms. Calleigh embraced her tightly , the tears appearing at random. She was immensely proud of her .

" I saw, baby. You did so good! I'm so proud of you ," Calleigh returned as Sydney pulled back, her eyebrow arching.

"Mommy, why are you crying? I did good, remember?"

"Oh, Syd, Mommy's crying because she is happy," Calleigh laughed as she wiped at her eyes with her free hand. Tim's parents came over along with Eric, Horatio , and Marisol, their smiles equally bright as Calleigh put her down, searching for her grandmother. Chauncy helped her over to the crowd as Tommy flanked her, gently holding on to her. The fear crept up inside of her again, fearing that the activity was just too much for her. "Grams?"

"Not to worry, Bug. I'm fine," she said as she smiled, looking down at Sydney. "And you, you little sugar plum fairy. You did an outstanding job!"

"Thanks , Grams. I remembered to stand still. Did you see me?" she asked loudly as she attached herself to her legs, looking up at the elderly woman.

"I saw you, sweetie. I tell you, seeing you up there dancin' reminded me of my days," she replied wistfully, a smile coming over her. " A little dance livens the spirit, I always said."

The sounds of light chuckles filled the air as Tim began to usher them out of the overcrowded theater. There was still more to celebrate, and he wanted Sydney to be the center of it all. Sydney beamed brightly as she walked in between her mother and father as they made their way to the cars. For just that moment, everyone's spirit had been livened with one simple dance.

The End


End file.
